


// Fractured \\ (Kylo Ren x OC)

by CrimsonCasualties



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Character Death, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Graphic Description of Corpses, Inappropriate Use of the Force, Lightsaber Battles, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-23
Updated: 2016-07-31
Packaged: 2018-06-10 04:24:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6939529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrimsonCasualties/pseuds/CrimsonCasualties
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alice Brekker, now the age of nineteen, lives on Jakku with her only friend-Rey. As a child, abandoned at the age of three, Alice was strong with the Force. As a Padawan, she outshined even her master's nephew, an older Padawan by the name of Ben Solo. Ben became the only true friend that she had while they were training together. This simple fact left her heart shattered when Ben was killed by Kylo Ren of the First Order.<br/>Alice mourned the loss of her comrades, along with something more valuable, as she nearly bled to death in the back of a cargo ship.</p><p>When two odd companions appear in her kitchen one day in desperate need of a pilot, Rey happily agrees to help them, forcing Alice to go along. After making new friends and reuniting with old ones, a dark enemy from Alice's past makes an appearance, and he will stop at nothing to get what he desires:<br/>The map to Skywalker, and the girl that slipped through his grasp.<br/>When the man who caused her so much pain finally catches up with her, Alice must choose between avenging her friends from the past or protecting her current friends for the sake of the future...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Near-Death Experience and Unexpected Guests

The barren landscape of Jakku had little to offer in the likes of food. Deadly Desert Wampas hunted during the night, often preying upon any creature foolish enough to wander around in the darkness, leaving very little for the people who lived there. Shipments of food from other planets arrived every few months, though they were very limited. People had to trade items of value for food, many of which came from broken-down ships that lay half-buried beneath the sands. Many risked their lives just to get a half-portion of food, which was exactly what Alice and her best friend- Rey- were doing.

Alice dangled from a rope in the center of a vast, open space of an old cargo ship, while Rey was given the task of carefully lowering her onto one of the available platforms below. Both of them were dressed in typical Jakku desert garb, with goggles covering their eyes and fabric wrapped around their heads to protect their faces and ears from the frequent sandstorms.

Alice saw Rey's head peeking through the opening every once in awhile to see how far down she was, but there was still a long way to go before she was able to stand on the platform. The wind coming through the various holes in the large structure rocked her back and forth as she dangled from the rope, causing Rey a small amount of trouble as she lowered her, but she was strong enough to handle it. It was also quite helpful that she had tied the other end of the rope to a structure jutting out from the side of the ship- it supported a lot of the weight that was being carried down with Alice: Various tools, extra rope, and a large duffle bag to carry any items of value that she might find.

 _Maybe I can find something rare,_ Alice thought to herself, a smile forming beneath the cloth wrap around her head, _possibly something worth a few whole portions?_

A loud creaking sound echoed through the open structure, tearing Alice from her thoughts. The rope dropped her a foot lower than she was, and a small wave of nausea wracked through her abdomen. Alice looked upward, finding that Rey's concealed face was nowhere to be seen. "Alice!" She called from the opening, the creaking growing louder, "It's going to break! I-I'll try to untie you and hold on myse-" her words were cut off by the loud screech of metal and the snapping of electrical cords. "Alice!" Rey shouted, terrified. Alice began to fall swiftly through the open space. A loud scream escaped her throat as the distance between her and the ground drew nearer.

 _Shit shit shit shit. I'm. Going. To. Die. Shiiiiitttt!_ Alice thought as she screamed. Before she could hit the ground below, the rope bungeed her upwards. A sigh of relief escaped her lips, her heart beating wildly in her chest. The rope snapped, causing Alice to fall the remainder of the way down, which to herr relief, was only three meters down. However, a sharp, jagged piece of metal sliced Alice's arm upon landing. She winced in pain, looking to her wounded arm. The cloth around the cut began turning a dark crimson, and a groan, sounding much like a noise a Wookie would make echoed through the cargo ship. "Rey!" She called up, earning a happy sound from the now much smaller opening.  
"Alice! Thank the Heavens you're alive!"  
"Alive, but in need of stitches!"  
"I'll send another rope down in a moment! Just stay there!"  
Alice then looked around in the small layer of sand there was at the bottom of the structure. A somewhat small, metal rectangle protruded from the sand, peaking the interests of the young girl. She crawled to the object, digging around it to loosen it up. Alice began pulling at the object, her injured arm crying out in protest, but she managed to get the rectangular object out of the sand. Recognizing the object as a small, portable computer, Alice opened it and pressed the button to turn it on, hoping that the device still worked. To her surprise, the computer turned on with ease, the icons immediately popping up on a decorative background. Filled with excitement, she stood and jumped around with joy.  
"Rey!" She called out, looking upward to find the rope snaking down towards her.  
"What is it, Alice?" The rope was almost to her now.  
"I found a working computer down here!"  
Alice could hear her gasp of excitement even from the bottom of the massive structure, "That's wonderful news!"  
She grabbed the rope and slightly tugged on it, letting Rey know that she had a hold of it now. Alice grabbed the computer and turned it off, closing it and putting it in the duffle bag quickly. Slinging the bag back over her shoulder- though having second thoughts on its position as a searing pain jolted through her arm- she began tying the rope around her waist firmly, tugging on it again once she was ready to be pulled up. Rey quickly began pulling on the rope, lifting Alice much faster than she had been lowered.  
Once she made it to the opening, Alice grabbed ahold of the edges and pulled herself onto the exterior side of the cargo ship with Rey, though her injured arm protested all the while. Alice unzipped the duffle bag and showed Rey the computer, gaining yet another happy gasp from her partner. "This is definitely worth more than five portions!" Rey squealed in delight.  
"That's what I was thinking!" Alice giggled, zipping the bag up once more.

Alice and Rey collected the rest of their supplies and began climbing down the side of the ship, Rey warning her to be careful of her arm every once in awhile. Alice's best friend often coddled her like a child when she was injured, but Alice merely laughed and listened to her body's limits. She knew what she could handle, and she knew what she could not, yet Rey always worried about Alice and her adventurous ways. In all honesty, Alice found her motherly nature amusing.

♤♤♤

When Alice first arrived on Jakku after her Jedi master went into hiding, Rey found her dangling from her pale legs in a massive structure to collect small items like computer chips and scraps of metal. Rey, being a few years older, decided to help the young Alice. From then on, Alice had become her scavenging partner, her best friend, and her comic relief. Alice was always sarcastic, and she came up with the most random and imaginative things when she was given a small amount of time.

But then there was her serious side: the side that laid out all of the schedules, the side that organized everything, the side that made Alice the best damn trader on Jakku. She always received the best deals from the other traders, and the largest amount of portions from the food barter.

Alice made it a habit to gather information from supply ships from other planets from Geonosis all the way to Tatooine. It helped boost her trading skills and it was basically her only source of information to other planets. Everything was basically the same at this point: The First Order was scouring the galaxy for the location of Luke Skywalker. Each time the name was spoken, Alice couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness. Luke Skywalker had been her Jedi Master since Alice's parents had abandoned her near the training camp at the age of three. He had sensed the strength of her Force and brought the young child in as his disciple. Master Skywalker had gone into hiding soon after his nephew- her best friend- Ben Solo, had died at the hands of Kylo Ren. Many of Luke's disciples died that night, but Alice managed to escape on a small cargo ship along with a few others. When they arrived on the planet Naboo, she and the other disciples boarded separate ships, heading to different planets. This is how Alice came to live on Jakku.

Every day, Alice practiced using the Force to strengthen her abilities, in hopes of one day fighting Kylo Ren to the death- to avenge the murder of her childhood friend. However, she kept her mind clear through her training, not allowing the rage and anger to control her. Anger was a quick and easy way to be seduced into the Dark Side. Alice had told Rey some of her story, but only that she was taken in by a highly skilled Jedi master at a young age and that her best friend had been killed by Kylo Ren. Alice knew that it wasn't wise to burden Rey with her past- it was her's, after all. Alice had sensed the power of the Force inside of Rey, and had asked her to train many times, but she always gave the same answer: _"Exercise makes you hungry, Alice. We are starving enough as it is."_

Eventually, she stopped asking, knowing that Rey would continue to say no until they had enough food to keep their bellies full- forever. It was logical reasoning, yet Alice still continued to practice the Force, along with using her Lightsaber on occasion, eating her usual amount of food. Rey always fussed because Alice could cause herself to pass out, but she had been doing it for the past three years. Surely if Alice were going to faint from the lack of food, she would have done it by now.

♤♤♤

As she and Rey waited in line to trade in the computer for food, Alice couldn't help but take a look at the poor souls around her. Many were more worse off than her and Rey, and they were both thankful that they collected enough rare items to be able to eat for long periods of time.

Alice turned away when an older man fell into the ground, eyes half-lidded as spasms took control of his body and he clutched at his chest. Eventually, the spasms ceased, and the elderly man went still. He was dead. His family were screaming his name, not wanting to believe in the reality of their situation. It was only when his body was dragged away did they quit trying to wake him up. Alice's heart- coated in the goodness of the Light Side- wished to comfort the now grieving family, but she knew that on Jakku, death was always right behind you. There was no use in comforting them when they could easily die in the next few minutes.

Finally, Alice and Rey reached the front of the line, setting the computer on the counter. The large, rather ugly creature behind the counter opened the computer, pressing the power button. A smirk appeared on the creature's ghastly face as the icons appeared on screen, "I'd say this is worth about... six portions."

A sigh of relief escaped Rey's lips as the bags were plopped onto the wooden counter, quickly grabbing them and shoving them into Alice's duffel bag. Alice could feel the hungry, needy eyes of the crowd upon her, and it sent an uneasy feeling throughout her body, but she and Rey managed to leave the premises without being attacked.

Once they returned back to their ramshackle "home" in the desert, Rey took off the goggles and unwrapped her head, while Alice carefully slid the duffle bag off of her shoulder and sat down. Rey sat down next to her and began cutting away at the cloth around the wound, making sure that she didn't accidently stab Alice with the scissors. By the time she had completely stitched and bandaged Alice's wound, Rey was tired of trying to play nurse for almost half an hour and had gone to bed. This left Alice the task of cleaning up around the small house. A small sigh escaped her lips as she unwrapped the cloth around her head and took off her goggles, letting her ebony locks free. She began with putting away their pitiful First Aid Kit and putting away the goggles. A few plates and cups were scattered around the kitchen due to the fact that she and Rey hardly had time to clean because they had been scavenging so often lately. Washing those few dishes and wiping the blood from the table was the extent of Alice's cleaning- there wasn't much to clean in the small house.

Alice decided that it was time to clean herself up, highly disliking the feeling of being all sweaty and covered in sand. She quickly drew herself a bath and undressed, making sure to lock the door before she got into the small bathtub. Though she and Rey were practically sisters at this point, Alice still felt uncomfortable with her- and people in general- seeing her naked. She slipped into the warm water, relaxing as she leaned against the wall of the tub. Alice quickly washed herself off, taking extra time to clean her hair because of the sand that had found its way into her long locks. It was a pain in her ass to get all of the sand out, but eventually the seemingly sisyphean task was complete. Alice heard the front door creaking open as she stepped out of the tub and dried herself, knowing that it was probably Rey leaving to scout the perimeter like she did every day. Alice quickly dressed herself in clean desert garb and walked to the door.

But then, distinguished sounds from a robotic unit caught her ears. _Be careful,Finn,_ it said.

Another sound, the sound of a male's voice, followed in a soft whisper, "Shh, BB-8. I can't understand you. I just need water, and then we'll be gone."

Alice's eyes narrowed as she looked at the locked door in front of her, stepping back slightly and reaching for her Lightsaber, only to grasp the fabric of her clothing. Her dark brows furrowed in annoyance and made a mental note to find the damn thing after the current situation was taken care of. Quietly, she unlocked the door and padded down the hallway, her footsteps completely silent as she made her way to the source of the sound: the kitchen. Alice took a quick peek at the room before hiding herself behind the wall again, her empty hand awaiting the comforting weight of the Lightsaber in anticipation, only to receive nothing at all. There was indeed a man in her home, and a small, orange and white BB-8 unit was accompanying him.  
Wonderful...


	2. Finn Hates Sand Almost as Much as Anakin Does

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (7-15-16)  
>  **NEXT CHAPTER UPDATE:**  
>  The 3rd chapter will be posted sometime within the next few days.  
> I have had very little time to work on it since our power was out for three days and I was unable to use my computer.  
> I have also been putting writing aside due to the recent death of a very close friend of mine.
> 
> The next chapter may seem a bit rushed at times, but I'm trying to get to the future chapters that actually feature Kylo Ren instead of the misadventures of Alice, Rey, and Finn, all while keeping it between 3,000 and 2,000 words per chapter.
> 
> Again, terribly sorry for the inconvenience to my avid readers out there. With time, I will be posting chapters more consistently and a bit more detailed than these first few chapters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry that this chapter isn't that great. I'm trying to get past all of the boring introductions and get to the explosions and sessy-time stuff...
> 
> But hey- at least there will be explosions and death and things in the next chapter, eh?
> 
> And to all of you fangirls reading this- There WILL be sessy-time. Albeit later in the book, but sessy-time nonetheless. In fact, I may name the chapter "Sessy-Time" just for you. 
> 
> ;)

As soon as Alice was about to exit her hiding place and confront the strange man in her house, the sound of glass shattering from the kitchen was soon made audible in the silence. She could hear Rey tossing around bed-sheets and pillows  in a scramble to get out of her tiny- and annoyingly loud- bed. Alice simply held her head in her small hands at the hilarity of the intruders’ situation. Instead of confronting her, the more level-headed of the two scavengers, they would be seen by Rey- woken from her sleep, no less.

 

“Alice?” The brunette called out, worry ever present in her tired voice as her loud footsteps signaled her lanky body shuffling into the kitchen, “Are you alri-”

 

Alice counted in her head the mere seconds it would take for Rey to understand the situation and act irrationally upon it.

 

_ Three… Two… One… _

 

“What in the bloody hell are you doing in my house!” Rey shouted angrily. Tough it would have been fun to watch a man be pummeled by Rey, Alice had decided that there was enough death plaguing the desert planet already without murder, much less in their own kitchen. The smaller female stepped into the kitchen, where Rey was currently holding the poor man by the collar of his dirtied, black shirt.

 

“Rey,” she snapped, causing Rey to immediately turn her head towards the smaller female, as well as the man in her grasp. Alice didn’t particularly enjoy they way he was eyeing her, but that was a matter for another time, “I heard what he said to the droid. He means no harm- all he needs is some water, and they’ll be off.” She stated, watching as Rey let go of the male, though pushed him roughly into the wall as if to express her irritation. Alice rolled her eyes and grabbed a glass, filling it with water. She turned around to find Rey glaring at the man from across the room, though proceeded to walk across the room- avoiding the broken glass, of course- and handed the cup to the stranger.

 

Alice gave him a soft smile, which he returned as he took the cup, “What is your name, traveler?” She asked, not noticing Rey’s highly irritated gaze shifting into slight jealousy at the question, and the man was completely oblivious as he nervously stared into the dark blue orbs of the female in front of him.

 

He tentatively took a drink of his water, still trying to regain his breath from having been attacked by the angry woman standing behind the raven-haired female, “Finn,” he breathed out, “my name is Finn.” He pointed to the orange and white droid in the corner, “This is-”

 

Finn’s words were cut off by Rey, who had focused much more closely on the droid to avoid thinking about how the man- Finn _ - _ was practically drooling over  _ her _ Alice, “A BB-8 unit.” She finished for him.

 

Alice turned to her confidant, whose eyes were still transfixed upon BB-8, “Impressive,” Alice began, “Though I’m curious as to how you knew the answer. Droids are seldom ever on Jakku.”

 

Rey finally met Alice’s quizzical gaze, “I didn’t know for sure, but I heard some merchants whispering about the First Order searching for a Droid just like this one.”

 

Alice froze and her dark blue eyes widened. Simply hearing the name of that horrid and gruesome dictatorship sent shivers down her spine, and Rey knew this all too well. After all, she’d been the one who tried to calm Alice every time she awoke in the middle of the night with nightmares, though had been pushed away each time. Alice always insisted that she could handle it, using vague answers when asked what her nightmares involved. It worried Rey to no end, but didn’t want to be a nuisance to her friend.

 

The smaller female furrowed her brows in irritation, looking to Finn, noting the ‘oh shit’ look on his features, “I assume you’re with the Resistance?” She inquired, eyeing the man more carefully now.

 

Finn nodded, “Y-yeah, I’m with the Resistance.” He replied, the nervousness clear in his voice.

 

Alice sighed, “You must have only been there for a few years,” she began, sitting down in one of the chairs, “though I suppose that there are a lot of new faces I have yet to see. Damn, I’ve been on Jakku for  _ ages _ .” She ran a hand through her damp curls, noticing that they were already beginning to dry in the heat of their home.

 

Finn scooted to the edge of his seat and leaned forward, interested in the topic, “You’re with them, too?” He asked, genuine curiosity and wonder in his dark eyes.

 

Alice nodded simply, “Yes, I am. I’m in hiding, though. It’s pretty difficult to help fight the First Order when you’re an asset to their big plans. The funny thing is: they thought that I was dead- up until a month ago, at least. Someone high in the Resistance got captured and let it slip that I was alive. Now I’ve got Kylo Ren himself trying to hunt me down, which is precisely why you need to leave, Finn- all of us do. We need to get as far from Jakku as we possibly can.”

 

His eyes widened, his tired muscles protesting with every other movement that he made as he abruptly tried to stand, failing and falling back into the chair with a wince, “Why?” He asked, having grown fond of the colder air and water he was able to attain from the house. He did  _ not  _ want to go back out into the desert, into the unknown.

 

Rey growled once more and marched forward, feeling as though she were having to explain the situation to a child rather than a soldier of the Resistance, “The First Order is hunting that droid, so whatever it contains must be of great importance. They are also searching for Alice. Hell, they were probably tracking the ship you arrived here on. It’s only a matter of time before they find us, torture us, and dispose of us once we become useless to them.”

 

Finn took this into consideration, “There’s one problem,” he began, nervous under Rey’s daunting glare, “I can’t fly a ship, and we need to return to the Resistance base as soon as possible.”

 

Rey rolled her eyes, “Well how in the hell did you get here?”

 

His eyes softened in a grieving sort of way, “My partner, he flew us here.” His voice had noticeably changed, a sad tone lingering on every word. “He died when our ship crashed-landed a few kilometers away.”

 

Both Alice and Rey were phased by this interesting development in the story of the strange Resistance fighter, but were very concerned that his decimated ship was only kilometers from their home.

 

“We could fly you to the base,” Rey proclaimed, a determined smile on her face, “All of us need to leave as soon as possible, anyway.” Her sudden change in demeanor greatly surprised Finn and earned excited beeping from BB-8, though her small friend merely raised a quizzical brow at her confidant.

 

Alice immediately turned to Rey, “‘We’?” She repeated. “I’m not leaving Jakku; not yet. I can distract Ren from a distance long enough for you guys to make some headway, and then I can escape from Jakku using one of those old X-Wings that we found the other day.”

 

“You know I won’t let you stay here by yourself, Alice. Especially under these circumstances. I will  _ not _ let Kylo Ren have even the slightest chance of hurting you again.” Rey argued, though her statement wove a web of curiosity within Finn as he watched both of their reactions carefully. ‘ _ Again?’  _  He thought to himself, jaw setting as he shifted in his chair,  _ What did that monster do to such a beautiful girl?  _

 

Alice sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose in irritation, “Look, Rey, I know you are only trying to help me,” she began, looking to meet her friend's gaze, “but I'm not a child- I hardly ever was. I’ve fought Kylo Ren before, and I know what to expect if he catches up with me.”

 

Rey stepped forward, brows furrowed and fists clenched as she tried to make Alice give up on trying to fight Kylo, “That was three years ago, Alice!” She snapped, “Need I remind you that last time you two fought, you didn’t exactly end up on the winning end? Do the scars that he left on your body not do that for you already?!”

 

Alice physically recoiled as though she had been struck when Rey had finished shouting, one hand gripping the table and the other gently placed upon her abdomen- right above the scar that Kylo Ren had left when he stabbed her. Memories of her comrades being slaughtered and  _ his _ face flooded her thoughts, causing the young woman to flinch. Rey’s gaze immediately softened as she saw the hurt look upon her friend’s face, her hand instinctively reaching towards her, “Alice, I-”

 

The smaller girl raised the hand that had been supporting her weight on the table, silencing Rey almost immediately, “No, no,” she began, her voice calm, “I understand. Master Luke won’t be there to rescue me this time.” Alice began walking forward, her oceanic blue orbs fixated on the tiny hall that led to her room, “I’ll go get a few things before we leave- I suggest you do the same.” With that, Alice disappeared into her room, locking the door.

 

Rey watched her best friend exit the room, hearing the faint click of her bedroom door locking. Though having won the argument, Rey felt completely and utterly defeated. She slumped against the wall with a sigh, her arms crossing. BB-8 rolled over to the sad woman, quiet beeping sounds emitting from the Droid.

 

However, Finn was transfixed upon a certain detail uttered during their argument, “Luke? As in, Luke  _ Skywalker _ ?” He asked, curiosity gleaming in his eyes.

 

Rey nodded, facing him, “Yeah, Skywalker was her Jedi Master. He’s been missing for over three years. Why do you ask?” She inquired, her eyes flicking from the rather adorable robotic unit back to the traveler.

 

Finn looked completely surprised and at a loss for words. Rey could almost see the gears turning within his large, sweaty head before he spoke, “That’s why we need to get to the Resistance Base so urgently!” He exclaimed, causing BB-8 to beep and chirp incoherently, “My partner and I found a map that leads straight to Skywalker!”

 

BB-8 chirped in confirmation, and the brunette’s eyes widened, her mouth agape as the information sank in, “A map to Skywalker?” She breathed out, the former sadness that plagued her voice being replaced by a more light-hearted emotion. “Oh, Alice will be so happy to hear this.” Rey turned to walk down the hallway, but she thought better of it and returned to her room to pack a few things for their journey. She grabbed a small duffle bag and tossed their food rations into it, along with a few other survival supplies. Rey grabbed the few canteens that she kept to herself and hurried back into the kitchen, filling them all with fresh water.

 

Finn and BB-8 simply watched in fascination as the woman flitted between the two rooms as though she were a worker bee. Even after Rey had completed putting her bag together, Alice had still not left her room. Being the ever-concerned friend that she was, Rey decided to go talk to the young woman.

Rey hesitantly approached the door, hearing a distorted, slightly robotic version of a young man’s voice. With a shaky breath, she picked the lock and opened the door, revealing Alice sitting upon her bed, her bag neatly packed by her side and her dark orbs fixated upon a hologram of a boy- her childhood sweetheart, Ben Solo. It was the same hologram that she always watched when she was reminiscing about the events that happened on the night that he had died. The hologram was filled with heartfelt words and all of the things that he adored about “his darling Alice.” Rey felt a twinge of jealousy as the hologram came to a close, the words  **_“I love you with all of my heart, Alice Brekker,”_ ** causing a fire to well inside of the brunette.

 

_ Seriously, Rey? _ She thought, mentally slapping herself.  _ You’re getting all jealous over the words of a corpse. Don’t be such an ass. _

 

The hologram flickered for a moment before shutting off. Without turning her head, Alice spoke, “I miss him so much, Rey,” she said softly, her voice cracking as though she were about to cry. She picked up the metal disc that the hologram was contained in and twirled it around with her fingers.

 

Rey leaned against the wall, a sympathetic look plastered on her features, “I know, Alice. He seemed to be a wonderful, kind-hearted man,” she hesitantly made herself step closer to the saddened girl, “But playing that hologram over and over certainly isn't do you any favors.” She added, sitting on the bed and wrapping a comforting arm around Alice. “It makes you all sad and mopey, and you barely eat when you're sad and mopey.”

 

Alice rested her head on Rey’s shoulder, “We barely eat, anyways, Rey,” she looked at the metal disc in her hands with a downtrodden gaze, “Sometimes I wonder what it would be like if you had never found me- if you would have more food without another mouth to feed.”

 

Rey looked down at her friend’s gloomy expression, brows furrowed slightly in concern. She tilted Alice’s chin upward, making the smaller woman look her in the eyes, “We’ve had this conversation before, Alice: You aren’t a burden, no matter how many times you may think so. We have enough food to live on, and that’s what matters. Our parents left us behind, we’ve suffered through hardships, but we have each other to depend on now. We keep each other safe, and right now that means we have to leave. I don’t care if Leia Organa herself scolds me for making you leave Jakku without her permission, but I’ll be damned if I let Kylo Ren get his grubby little hands anywhere near you or that bloody droid,” she concluded with a faint sigh. Alice stayed silent, though simply nodded to show that she had been paying attention to what her confidant had been saying.

 

The smaller woman stood from her bed, grabbing the small duffle bag that she had packed and slung it over her good shoulder. She looked down to her belt, eyeing the empty space that her Lightsaber should have been occupying. A small pout formed on her lips as she looked around her tiny room, her features seeming to brighten when her gaze fell upon the metal cylinder. Alice triumphantly grabbed the handle of her Lightsaber, “Aha! So that’s where it was.” She turned to Rey, all signs of her former sadness seeming to have vanished completely, “I’m ready to leave if you are, Rey,” she stated, her usual carefree attitude returning.

 

Rey chuckled lightly, standing and gesturing for Alice to follow. Of course, the raven-haired girl obediently trailed behind her older confidant into the kitchen, finding Finn and BB-8 still sitting there. Rey grabbed her bag and her staff, opening the door that led outside, “Alright, Finn, get off your ass and get moving, soldier,” she ordered teasingly, earning a small giggle from Alice and a few humored chirps from BB-8 as they exited the ramshackle building. Finn merely groaned, furthering their amusement, but followed them nonetheless.

 

Alice shut the door behind them, “Niima Outpost is nearby, and we can get easily get a ship from there within the hour.” She stated, beginning to walk in the direction of the junkyard. Finn looked to the large amount of sand in front of him and sighed, using his jacket to keep the sun out of his eyes.

  
He was  _ not _ looking forward to walking through the desert again.


	3. The Misadventures of the Grey, the Scavenger, the Lost Boy, and their Droid

Rey was fairly close to beating Finn with her staff as they walked on, his voice often breaking the silence to complain about the heat or the sand that sifted into his clothing. Luckily for the oblivious Resistance soldier, Alice had subtly shifted herself in between the two along with BB-8, meaning that Rey would have to do extra work to attack the rather annoying man. The brunette could hardly believe that he was a soldier at all, with the way that he spoke. She nearly questioned him about it several times, but decided to keep her own negativity in her head. Rey had plenty of fun yelling at him within the privacy of her mind.

  


Alice, on the other hand, was on high alert. She watched the skies and sand dunes intently, tapping into the Force to see if any dark energy was near. She kept her hand on her lightsaber, though it brought her little comfort as her mind wandered to the strength of the First Order and their artillery. The reality of their situation was sinking in, and Alice was trying her hardest to keep the emotions that she had locked away about  _ that night _ inside. Memories flowed through her mind, muddling her thoughts as she tried to stay focused on watching for any black TIE Fighters in the sky.

  


Rey looked behind her, practically seeing the wheels that were turning within her head as the young woman scanned the sky and the half-buried ships in the area. She knew exactly what her friend was looking for, and it unsettled her. Alice knew the First Order, Rey could see that much, and she had the physical and mental scars to prove it- though Rey had only scraped the surface of what bothered her younger confidant. Rey began watching the skies as well, tuning out the Resistance fighter’s voice. In all honesty, she wasn’t completely sure that he was whining about the sand anymore. He could probably be talking just to hear himself talk, or maybe spewing out something important. Either way, Rey was just trying to take Alice’s actions into account, considering their current situation.

  


Finally, after nearly an hour of walking, they reached Niima Outpost. Rey merely shook her head when Finn grumbled,  _ “Finally.” _ She turned around, an annoyed smirk on her face, “Do you ever whine like this to your superiors?” She asked, catching the man off guard.

  


“Uh… No,” Finn muttered, scratching the back of his neck. 

  


Alice chuckled, “Of course not,” she said, speaking up. The serious expression that she had worn while looking for signs of danger had vanished completely, replaced by the smile she usually wore, “Leia would have torn him a new one if he so much as complained about the temperature in the dining hall- and she would have done it with all the dignity and elegance of a royal.” She laughed once again, easing both Finn and Rey's nerves.

  


Alice took one last look at the sky, though it looked more like she were cloud gazing instead of looking for enemy ships with the smile that she had on her face, “Well, are we just going to stand here, or are we going to get a ship, Rey?” She asked, poking the taller woman’s shoulder and walking downhill, BB-8 rolling alongside her and leaving a trail in the sand.

  


Though Rey had been trying hard not to do so, she ended up eyeing Alice’s curves as they walked, and she knew that Finn was probably doing the same- which bothered her to no end. She couldn’t help herself, though she knew that it was wrong of her to do so. Even though the younger girl didn’t care to admit it completely, Alice was still mourning over her childhood sweetheart, and it didn’t feel right to  _ want _ her when she was clearly still upset about his death. Of course, it wasn’t Rey's fault that Alice was attractive with a wonderful personality. It was practically impossible for Rey to  _ not _ fall for her charms. But alas, she could only observe the younger woman as they went about their daily lives- and she  _ definitely  _ observed.

  


♤♤♤

  


Alice noted the strange stares that their group was getting- more precisely, their Droid. If Rey knew what the Droid looked like, there was no doubt that many of the mercenaries and informants on Jakku knew about BB-8 as well. Alice slowed her pace slightly, allowing Rey and Finn to catch up with her, “Rey, you and Finn need to find us a ship- quickly.” She eyed her surroundings carefully, “I’ll walk around with BB-8 for a bit to keep the bounty-hunters off of you, but you must hurry. I have a feeling that the crowd won’t stay idle for too long.”

  


Rey and Finn immediately did as they were told, making a discreet beeline towards the junkyard where the few ships were kept. Once they arrived, they began running at a moderate pace.

  


Finn spoke up as they practically jogged through the junkyard, “Do you know what we’re looking for?” He asked, his gaze flickering from each abandoned and broken ship that they passed by.

  


“Yes,” Rey replied, picking up the speed as they grew closer to the ship that she had in mind, “It’s a bit old, but it will do the tri-” She was immediately cut off by a large, green light hitting the earth in front of her, causing the ship to explode. The two were propelled backwards by the blast, both landing far from their initial position in the sand. Rey crawled through the sand and grabbed her staff that had been knocked from her grasp. Finn scrambled to his feet, grabbing Rey’s hand and running as quickly as he possibly could, “I know how to run without you holding my hand!” Rey snapped, freeing her hand from Finn’s larger one.

  


She looked to the sky, finding the cause of the explosion almost instantly: two TIE Fighters were soaring through the sky at rapid speeds.

  


The First Order had arrived…

  


There was only one thing on Rey’s mind as she ran: Alice. She had to save Alice.

  


Suddenly, BB-8 came rolling into view, going as fast as his circuits would allow him to, beeping hysterically all the while. Alice soon followed behind him, her back facing them and her Lightsaber deflecting shots from the stormtroopers’ blasters. She had watched Alice train many times before, but it was much different now that she was seeing the petite Jedi in action. For a moment, Rey was slightly humored at the fact that she was running backwards with a blur of blue light in front of her, but quickly reminded herself of the danger that Alice was in and picked up her pace.

  


Sweat was beginning to form on Alice's brow as she concentrated, aware of each shot that was fired at her. It seemed as though time was slowed down slightly and that she were the only one moving normally. The Force was flowing through her, as easily as it always had. Her strength had grown over the years- though minimally trained- so tossing a few Clones to the side with the Force was almost like swatting at a fly. Once the troopers had fallen to the ground and stopped firing, Alice turned and began sprinting towards the others, who were racing to get to her, “Get to a bloody ship, you idiots!” She shouted, “We have to get out of here!”

  


Finn and Rey skidded to a halt in the sand, turning themselves in the other direction, BB-8 quickly catching up with them, beeping unintelligibly.

  


Alice tried her hardest to run as fast as her partners, but with her smaller legs and their distance from her, it was much harder for her to keep up. She kept running, though her lungs began to ache and her muscles began to protest against her movements. The duffle bag hitting her repeatedly in the hip didn’t do any favors for her, either. Though it hurt to do so, Alice’s determination urged her to run faster. She could hear Finn and Rey’s voices as they boarded an old freighter ship covered in white sheets. A faint grin began to appear on her features as she neared the ship, her dark eyes gleaming as she realized how close they were to escaping the First Order’s Clones and, inevitably, their torture chambers.

  


However, her miniature celebration was cut short as a stormtrooper, hidden amongst a load of cargo, practically sprang from his hiding place and hit Alice’s head with the blunt of his blaster. The young girl felt the impact of the weapon as it connected with her temple, her vision blurring and her eyes fluttering closed. Her consciousness faltered as she fell, her dark orbs unable to focus on anything in particular when they were able to open. Alice’s head struck the ground, and the world went dark…

  


♤♤♤

  


The last thing Rey remembered was running to Alice as she fell to the ground, unconscious. Now, she stood above the body of a dead stormtrooper, Alice’s lightsaber in her hand. A large, seared wound marked her upper thigh, possibly from the blaster that was held by the white-clad corpse. Rey picked Alice up with ease, her petite body allowing Rey to run swiftly. Though there was a throbbing pain in her leg, the adrenaline in her system kept her from collapsing in the sand.

  


Rey managed to board the ship that she had deemed as “garbage” only moments before, setting Alice on a platform and strapping her in- a precaution to keep her in place while they were avoiding the TIE Fighters. Once that was completed, she dashed to the cockpit, taking a seat and flicking multiple switches to power up the old freighter. “I can do this, I can do this,” she repeated to herself under her breath, her relief present on her features as the ship began hovering in the air, the engines humming to life and the white sheets that had once covered it fluttering to the ground as she began moving the ship forward, bumping into a few structures and scraping the hull along the ground before finally making it into the open air. The First Order TIE Fighters were almost immediately chasing after them, shooting repeatedly at the freighter ship, hitting it a few times. Rey noticed that Finn hadn't fired a single shot, quickly becoming agitated when he began urging her to get the shields up through his headset, “It's not so easy without my co-pilot!” She snapped into the microphone, her eyes darting back and forth between the control panel and the landscape around her, which was growing more dense with obstacles. Rey let out a sigh of relief as she heard the sound of blasters being fired from below, dodging pieces of crashed ships and splitting up the two enemy ships. Rey soon heard their own blasters being fired in a more calculated manner, hearing Finn cheering from his place down below. She beamed and began laughing as she saw one of the TIE Fighters spiraling towards the ground, a plume of black smoke billowing from a gaping hole in its hull.

  


“Nice shot, Finn!” She called out, “Keep it u-”

  


Just then, a beam hit the freighter, jostling it, and Rey was waiting for something to go completely and utterly wrong. Bad things and ways seemed to happen when she opened her mouth.

  


Finn’s voice finally sounded from the speakers, “The cannon is stuck in forward position, I can't move it- You've gotta lose them!”

  


The brunette sighed, biting her lip and looking for a place that could be used as cover until Finn was able to shoot. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a large, broken-down ship that she and Alice had explored only days before, knowing that the cylindrical structures were hollow on the inside- for the most part, anyway. She began flipping switches and pressing button on the control panel, beginning to speed up and turn the freighter, “Get ready!” She called out, silently urging the ship to go faster.

  


Finn's voice finally came through the speakers, confusing evident in his tone, “Okay,” he began, “for what?”

  


Rey stopped talking, focusing only on the task at hand as she flew the ship through the circular entrance. The large freighter was engulfed by the shadows inside of the remains of the gargantuan cargo ship, causing Rey to squint and adjust to the sudden absence of light.

  


After what seemed like many impossible twists and turns, along with a few near-crashes, Rey found the opening she was looking for and made a sharp right, blinded by the sun for a moment. She directed the ship upward, preparing herself for what she was about to do. As soon as the remaining TIE Fighter came into view, Rey pushed back a lever, shutting off the engines and sending them into a free-fall. Rey could hardly take her eyes away from the ground as they sped towards the sand, her heart hammering within her chest.

  


Finally, she heard Finn firing from below, the sound an explosion soon following in the distance. She grabbed the lever and pulled it with all of her might, the engines roaring to life and pulling the ship upward before it could crash into the sand dunes below.

  


After the anxiety of almost getting blown to bits passed, Rey began laughing giddily, overwhelmed with joy due to successfully evading the First Order- momentarily, at least. Rey immediately sped the freighter out of Jakku’s arid atmosphere, trying to decide if her decision was really what was best. Alice had been wounded, disobeyed direct orders from her leader, and given away her position to the most feared group in the galaxy. It was no wonder that she hadn’t wanted to leave Jakku just yet, for she had far more to lose than Rey had once considered. Rey felt dreadful, knowing that she had forced Alice to come along, which only ended up with the smaller girl sustaining a head injury and getting knocked unconscious.

  


Nonetheless, when she heard Finn scrambling up the ladder, Rey slowed the freighter and turned on autopilot, standing from her seat- only to regret it the moment she did so. In her haste to escape the TIE Fighters, she had forgotten all about getting shot in the leg, and now there was no adrenaline to ease her pain. She looked down at the wound, the thin cloth of her pants slightly charred and torn open, revealing seared and blistered flesh along her lower thigh. Rey gritted her teeth and powered through it, limping into the hall to greet Finn, who looked as giddy as she had been. Rey was soon smiling, the two praising each other on how well they did in the heat of combat.

  


Suddenly, alarms were going off and a plume of gas was escaping through a grate in the floor. Rey looked to the grate, eyes widening as she realized what was going on, “Oh no,” she gasped, limping to the grate and kneeling beside it, pulling it to the side and carefully climbing down to fix the problem, “This is not good, poisonous gas- definitely not good,” she mumbled under her breath, Finn and BB-8 watching as she worked on the various machines with apparent ease. Soon, Rey was nearly finished and began speaking as she worked, “If I’m going to be the one flying, I need to know where the Resistance base is.” she said, focused on tightening a few bolts, completely unaware that Finn was trying to get BB-8 to reveal the location of the base. The droid, trying to make sense of what had been revealed to him, looked rapidly back and forth between Finn and the hole where Rey currently was.

The brunette’s head popped up from the opening, a brow raised, “Well?” She began, eyeing the two. BB-8 beeped a few times in response, which Finn couldn’t even begin to understand. Rey’s face held an expression of shock and disbelief, “The  _ Illenium  _ System?” She repeated, being careful of her leg as she climbed out of the hole.

  


“Y-yeah, the Illenium System,” Finn replied, giving BB-8 a thumbs-up when Rey wasn’t looking.

  


Rey grumbled beneath her breath, shaking her head a she stood, wincing as she did so, “Alright, I suppose I’ll set the course, but I need to check on Ali-”

  


The entire ship stopped moving, cutting Rey off mid-sentence. She frowned, looking to the cockpit and taken aback by the sight before her. A large ship was heading straight for them, their cargo hold agape and practically engulfing the freighter.

  


“It’s the First Order,” Finn observed, causing Rey to have a mini heart-attack, “We have to hide.” Suddenly, an idea came to him, “What about that poisonous gas?” He asked, eyeing the oncoming cargo ship.

  


“I just fixed that,” Rey snapped.

  


“Yeah, but can you unfix it?”

  


Rey paused for a moment to think, “What about their masks?”

  


“Their masks filter out smoke, not toxins.” 

  


“Alright. Help me get Alice in there, we don’t have much time.” She stated, quickly limping into the room where she had placed Alice. Rey unbound the unconscious girl, picking her up by her waist while Finn grabbed her legs. They gently placed her in the hole and put BB-8 in before closing the grate above them.

  


They put on the gas masks provided, hearing the main door sliding open and the distinct sounds of footsteps against the metal floor. The footfalls stopped, followed by a somewhat thoughtful sigh.

  


“Chewie,” said an older man’s voice, “We’re home.”

  


♤♤♤

  


The tall, powerful figure stood clad in black, fists clenching as he turned his head to face the lieutenant, who seemed utterly frightened at the sight of his superior. “The droid… stole a freighter?” Asked the distorted, robotic voice of the knight, his angered, dark eyes hidden behind his mask.

  


Lieutenant Mitaka gulped, his grip on his hat tightening as his hands began to shake, “Not exactly, sir. It had help.” The frightened man paused before continuing. “We have no confirmation yet, but witnesses believe that FN-2187 may have helped in the esca-”

  
  


The knight unsheathed his unusual Lightsaber, the red light casting moving shadows across the control panel in front of him, as well as illuminating his reflective helmet. The lieutenant flinched away from his superior, the angered knight hacking away at the wall and control panel that stood within his range. Sparks and bits of metal flew through the air, missing the lieutenant by mere centimeters. The slashing soon ended, allowing the lieutenant to let out a breath that he hadn’t realised that he had been holding. The knight turned his head to the side, keeping his back to the lieutenant as he sheathed his Lightsaber, “Anything else?” He asked, his hidden eyes glaring daggers at the quivering man behind him.

  
“Our witnesses also say that they were accompanied by two girls- scaveng-” His words were cut short when he felt as though he were being choked. Lieutenant Mitaka looked to the knight, finding his hand extended toward him, his tightening grasp coinciding with the invisible hand that held him in the air. He was soon being dragged forward, the tips of his shoes barely scraping across the floor as he was forced closer to the terrifying knight, until the gloved hand of the Force-sensitive male was really wrapped around his throat, “What 'girls'?” 


	4. Story-Time with Han Solo

The few seconds of silence seemed to go on forever, that is, until Finn bumped into the toolbox when he tried to move his foot, various tools clattering along the metal floor. Rey turned to face him, her eyes narrowed. Even through the gas mask, he could plainly see that she was scowling at him. Suddenly, the grate was lifted from over their heads, a large, furry creature tossing it to the side with ease. It let out a strange noise, one that Alice had once made fun of Rey for making when she was tired.

  


“Easy, Chewie,” said the older man.

  


“You can understand that thing?” Finn asked, his heavy breathing made evident through the mask.

  


“Yeah, and ‘it’ can understand you, too, pal,” the man snapped, his blaster pointed directly at Finn, “so watch it.” He looked down at the two, anger and suspicion present on his features, “Who are you? Where’s the pilot?” He questioned, his gaze flickering between the two to see if they would attempt to attack him.

  


“I’m the pilot!” Rey answered, hesitantly raising her hand.

  


“You?” The elder man asked, one of his greyed brows lifting in surprise.

  


Rey nodded, shifting slightly to the side, “Yes, I am.” She stated, watching the man carefully. She had fought too hard to have her life taken by an elderly man and his furry beast of a companion.

  


For a moment, the man froze, his eyes slowly widening as he stared at something within the opening. He looked as though he were looking at a ghost. Rey turned her head slightly to see what he was looking at, only finding Alice. The brunette’s dark brows furrowed in concern as she noticed the small amount of blood that had fallen from the wound and had slid down to her cheek.

  


“What is she doing here?” He finally questioned, concern in his voice, his eyes not leaving Alice’s unconscious form as he spoke. ‘Chewy,’ as the old man had called him, had looked to the wounded girl as well, emitting another strange noise.

  


Rey blinked a few times, curious as to how the stranger knew her friend.

  


“I said, what is Alice doing here?!” He repeated, raising his voice as anger took over his features once again, “She should be on Jakku, where she’s safe!”

  


Finn backed away at the sudden shouting, leaving Rey closer to the stranger, “We used this ship to escape the First Order on Jakku,” she replied, nervous due to the blaster aimed at her head, “Alice was injured trying to catch up with us after holding off the stormtroopers.”

  


The man shook his head, the hand that held his blaster falling to his side, “Of course my ship was on Jakku,” Rey heard him mumble, looking up to the furry creature, “I told you we should have double-checked the Western Reaches,” he said as he kneeled down next to the opening, “Alright, help her up here and we’ll take her to the infirmary.” Finn gently picked Alice up and lifted her up until the stranger was able to hold her. The furry beast helped the man stand up, and the two began walking into a different room, leaving Finn and Rey to climb out of the opening on their own. Finn helped BB-8 out first, following the droid shortly. He attempted to help Rey, though she insisted on doing it herself.

  


After a shot while, she managed to make it out without help, though her leg protested every time she tried to move it. She stood carefully, following Finn to the infirmary to find the man digging through drawers, obviously looking for something. He soon found what he was searching for, which upon closer inspection was a first aid kit. Without looking up at Rey, he began speaking as if he already knew that she was there, “So where exactly on Jakku was my ship?” He asked, opening the kit and taking out a two rolls of gauze.

  


Rey leaned herself against the wall, taking the pressure off of her injured leg, “Niima Outpost,” she replied, tucking a few strands of loose hair behind her ear, “I stole it. From Unkar Plutt. He stole it from the Irving Boys, who stole it from Ducain.”

  


The man rolled his eyes, “Who stole it from me!” He simply sighed and tossed her a roll of gauze, shaking his head as he walked over to Alice, who was now laying on a rather small bed of sorts. “Well, you tell him that Han Solo just stole back the Millennium Falcon for good.”

  


Rey caught the gauze, her eyes widened, “Han Solo?” She repeated, a smile forming on her features.

  


Finn lifted a quizzical brow, “The Rebellion general?”

  


Rey turned to face him, “No, the smuggler.” She quickly dismissed him and returned her attention to Han, “This is the Millennium Falcon? You’re Han Solo?”

  


Han dismissed her giddiness with a wave of his hand, eyes focused on Alice’s wound as he  cleaned the blood from the gash and the bruised area around it, “I used to be.”

  


Rey was overjoyed, her excitement from having met the legendary smuggler ever present on her usually stoic features, “So this is the ship that made the Kessel Run in fourteen parsecs?” She asked giddily.

  


Han looked to her and scoffed, “Twelve!” He retorted, returning his attention to wrapping the gauze around Alice’s head and the pad that he had put on her wound. “Fourteen,” he muttered to himself in disgust. His eyes softened slightly as he looked at Alice’s sleeping face, memories of the young orphan that had claimed his son’s heart racing through his thoughts as he finished bandaging her head. He sighed softly, looking over to find Rey rolling her pant leg back down, his gaze flickering to Finn, who merely stood at the door, watching her. Han chuckled lightly, shaking his head, “Look, kids,” he began, sitting himself down in a chair, “Once Alice wakes up, I’m taking you lot someplace safe. She shouldn’t have had her cover blown, and now that the First Order has confirmation that she is alive, Kylo Ren will not rest until he has killed her- or worse- and I’ll be damned if I sit back and let that happen.”

  


Rey furrowed her brows, sighing out of guilt, “I know, I should not have forced her to come along, but it is very important that we get her and the droid to the Resistance Base. Right now, I believe that both of them will be safer among warriors rather than commoners.”

  


“I’m afraid that I can’t take you there,” Han said, his tone rather stern.

  


“Why not?” Rey questioned, her temper flaring slightly as she stepped forward.

  


“Look, I have my reasons, and quite frankly I don’t really want to be dragged into anything the Resistance has to offer. I’m having a hard time as it is.” He replied, looking to the floor.

  


Finn spoke up from his place in the doorway, “The droid has a map leading directly to Luke Skywalker.”

  


Han froze, his eyes wide in surprise.

  


“You are the Han Solo that fought with the Rebellion,” Finn observed.

  


The older man slowly tilted his head to face Finn, staying silent.

  


“You know him,” Finn added.

  


Han finally spoke, “Yeah, I knew him. I knew Luke.” He sighed, leaning back in his chair, “Let me see the map.”

  


BB-8 rolled himself to the center of the room, a few strange noises coming from within the small droid before a light blue hologram appeared above him, taking up a large portion of the room that they were in. Han examined the map, along with the others, “It’s incomplete. This map is just a piece.” He sighed lightly, standing up, “Ever since Luke disappeared, people have been searching all over the galaxy for him.”

  


“Why did he leave in the first place?” Rey asked, her eyes flickering to Alice as the younger girl began moving around in her sleep.

  


“He was training a new generation of Jedi. One boy, an apprentice, turned against him, destroyed it all. Luke felt responsible. He just walked away from everything.” Han stood now, walking around the hologram, his eyes not straying from it as he spoke.

  


Finn frowned, “Do you know what happened to him?”

  


“A lot of rumours. Stories.” Said Han, “People that knew him best think he went looking for the first Jedi temple.” The older man smiled fondly, as if reliving a memory, “I used to wonder if all of those old tales were true- about the Orders and whatnot. I thought it was all mumbo-jumbo. A magical power holding together good and evil, the dark side and the light. Crazy thing is- It’s true. The Force, the Jedi- all of it.”

  


“Han?...” Said a meek voice from behind him. He turned around, finding Alice standing beside the bed he had placed her on, supporting herself against the wall. She held her head, obviously in pain- or highly confused, Han couldn’t really tell.

  


“Hey, kiddo,” he said with a smile, “You’re awake.”

  


Alice rubbed her eyes, Rey almost immediately rushing to her side, “What are we doing on the Falcon?” She asked, her gaze settling on the brunette in front of her.

  


“A stormtrooper almost bashed your brains in,” Rey began, “But we managed to get on a ship that wasn’t blown to bits, and then this bloke arrived with that enormous furball.”

  


Alice looked over Rey’s shoulder, her eyes brightening when she found Chewbacca through a portion of the hologram, “Chewie, come over here and give me a hug.”

  


Chewie roared, and what he said amused Alice, though Finn was still utterly confused as to how they could communicate with that creature. The large, furry Wookie ambled over to where the two stood, enveloping the raven-haired girl in a gentle embrace. He bellowed once more, causing a lighthearted laugh to escape Alice’s lips, “Of course I missed you, furball.” She remarked, “How could I not miss my favourite Wookie?”

  


When Chewie stepped back, Alice’s attention turned to the large hologram in the center of the room, “This is it?” She asked, taking a step away from the wall that was supporting her, “The map to Master Luke?”

  


Han sighed, “Only a piece of it. I imagine Leia has the rest of it hidden away somewhere in her archives.”

  


Alice nodded, her eyes never leaving the map, memorizing every detail, “Which is why we must get it to her as soon as possible. She’s no doubtedly been looking for Master Luke ever since he disappeared.”

  


“I’m sure the First Order has, too.” He remarked, “Which is why I’m going to be taking you to Maz Kanata instead of taking you to the Resistance Base. Did you think it was sheer luck that Chewie and I found the Falcon?”

  


“I suppose you have a point, Han,” Alice said softly.

  


A large thud sounded from outside of the ship, in the cargo hold that Han had trapped the Falcon in, “Oh, don’t tell me a Rathtar has gotten loose.” He began walking swiftly towards the exit, “Alice, you stay on the Falcon. I don’t want you to hurt yourself further.”

  


She obeyed, knowing that she would be of no use to anyone if she just ended up passing out.

  


Finn’s eyes widened, “Wait, what? Did you just say ‘Rathtars’? You’re not hauling Rathtars on this freighter, are you?” Finn asked, nervousness clear in his voice as they exited the Falcon.

  


Han sighed, “I’m hauling Rathtars.” He said, groaning as he looked at the cameras, “Oh, great, it’s the Guavian Death Gang,” he turned to face Chewie, “They must have tracked us from Nantoon.”

  


Rey turned to Finn, who was still jittery due to the fact that there were Rathtars on board, “What is a Rathtar?” She asked, raising a quizzical brow.

  


“They’re big and they’re dangerous,” Han called over his shoulder, Chewie growling in agreement.

  


Finn nodded, agreeing with Han on that note, “Have you ever heard of the Trillia Massacre?” He asked Rey as they walked.

  


She shook her head, “No, I haven’t.”

  


“Good...”

  


♤♤♤

  


Kylo Ren stood before the Supreme Leader, his mask concealing the fact that his eyes were wandering about the spacious room, fascinated by the moving shadows on the walls and the floor around him. It was a simple distraction that got his mind off of his earlier conversation with Lieutenant Mitaka. He was forced him from his train of thought.

  


“There has been an awakening,” Snoke began, his baritone voice low and rasping. “Have you felt it?”

  


The Knight raised his gaze, now looking directly at the gigantic figure before him, “Yes.”

  


The Supreme Leader adjusted himself in his chair, thrumming his long, bony fingers along the edge of his armrest, “The Dark Side, and the Light… The Droid you seek is aboard the Millennium Falcon in the hands of your father, Han Solo.”

  


Kylo Ren stepped forward, “He means nothing to me.” He insisted.

  


Snoke continued to watch his student carefully, “Even the Knights of Ren have never faced such a test.”

  


“By the grace of your training, I will not be seduced,” he assured his teacher.

  


Snoke leaned back in his chair, “We shall see, Kylo Ren. We shall see.” He said before his hologram faded away, leaving the Knight alone in the vast emptiness of the room.

  


He turned on his heel, storming down the halls in an intimidating fashion, heading directly to his bedchamber. That was the only place on the base where he knew he could be completely and utterly alone with his thoughts. The Master of the Knights of Ren sat atop his large, comfortable bed, the colour scheme monochromatic just like the rest of the base.

  
“Forgive me.” He began, his dark eyes fixated upon the pedestal in front of him, “I feel it again... The pull to the light. Supreme Leader senses it. Show me again... The power of the darkness... And I'll let nothing stand in our way... Show me... Grandfather... and I will finish... what you started.” Though he usually would have left his statements there, one girl in particular came to mind, “Do not worry, Grandfather… Alice will join us with time… I will make sure of it.”


End file.
